That is the story of Spelman College: that unyielding presumption of promise, that presumption of brilliance, that presumption that every woman who enrolls at this school has something infinitely valuable to offer this world…. That legacy is now your inheritance. And I've chosen that word – inheritance – very carefully, because it's not an entitlement that you can take for granted. It's not a gift with which you can do whatever you please. It is a commitment that comes with a certain set of obligations, obligations that don't end when you march through that arch today….
I want you to think about women like [Spelman graduates] Marian Wright Edelman and Janet Bragg.... Instead of focusing on what they didn't have, they focused on what they did have: their intellect, their courage, their determination, their passion. And with few advantages and long odds, with doors closed to them and laws stacked against them, still they achieved, still they triumphed, still they carved a glorious path for themselves in this world. And graduates, every single one of you has an obligation to do the same.
